


our safety is not in blindness

by egare



Series: A Penchant for Trouble [3]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Drabble, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-06
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-08-13 09:24:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7971664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/egare/pseuds/egare
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Paarthurnax noticed something off with the Dragonborn, after he read the Elder Scroll.</p>
            </blockquote>





	our safety is not in blindness

" _Bahloki nahkip sillesejoor._ My belly is full of the souls of your fellow mortals, _Dovahkiin_. Die now, and await your fate in Sovngarde!"

Paarthurnax saw that the Dragonborn was distracted, whispering to himself, and he did not look directly at Alduin as the dragon circled the two, taunting them. But he turned his gaze away from the mortal and toward the eldest dragon, attempting to give Deldrach enough time to do... whatever he was doing. Perhaps even drag him out of his distracted state.

" _Lost funt_. You are too late, Alduin! _Dovahkiin_! Use Dragonrend, if you know it!" He shouted toward the mortal, preparing to take off into the sky and limit him to the Throat of the World, if he tried to attack anywhere else. But it seemed unlikely- Alduin was a dragon, and Deldrach was his opponent at the moment. Flying off to fight weaker opponents was cowardly.

Dragon and Dunmer attacked together, the latter hesitant with his arrows and with using Dragonrend, not wanting to hit his ally. Paarthurnax gave encouragement whenever Alduin was engulfed in the Dovahkiin's Shout, the black dragon making his way to the ground and giving them a moment to rest, but he stopped at the first sight of it confusing the mer. He did not fully understand why he seemed so detached from the world, but decided to not bother him about it during battle. However, he looked at the Dragonborn one too many times, and in his distracted state, allowed Alduin to get the upper hand. The elder dragon's meteors brought Paarthurnax crashing down, fast and hard.

"Paarthurnax is weak. I am strong!" He called to the Dragonborn, dodging out of the way of a circle of blue. The grounded dragon in question was slowly recovering, not dead, but not able to go up and fly like he was before. But it did not matter if he could fly or not- Alduin had been grounded as well, and was trying to swat away the Dragonborn and his blade as if the two were merely insects. It wasn't until the blade actually hit his scales that Alduin started to take the Dunmer seriously, understanding that it was not a normal weapon, and returning frost when fire seemed to have little effect. But again, the Dragonborn seemed... Distracted.

His swings were wilder than usual- Paarthurnax would know, the Dunmer almost swung at him the first time they spoke- and he seemed to be in fear of every step he took. His shouts were limited, and unless he heard Alduin's Shouts or his wings beating and trying to hit him, he did not trust where he swung. He was not afraid of the dragon himself, no, he was never of any actual dragons- he actually smirked whenever Alduin Shouted, oddly enough. And although he could have died in the fight, he seemed to be having fun- especially with his newly learned fire breath.

Yet eventually, even the eldest dragon fell to the _joor_. Not dead, no, it was too early for the _dovah &nbsp_to be truly stopped. Although it was nearing the end, leading up to the glorious battle of Dovahkiin versus World-Eater, the final stage was not here, not now.

" _Meyz mul, Dovahkiin._ You have become strong. But I am _Al-du-in_ , Firstborn of Akatosh! _Mulaagi zok lot!_ I cannot be slain here, by you or anyone else! You cannot prevail against me. I will outlast you... mortal!" Alduin flew away, and Paarthurnax landed once more on the wall that once showed fire to the Dovahkiin, his eyes studying the mer that had taken to leaning against the wall, catching his breath and furious. He seemed as if he was going to shout, not with the Thu'um, but with his own mortal voice- and Paarthurnax's assumption was correct, as he roared incoherent sounds, swinging his sword into the stone wall to release his anger.

"I had him! He was here, and if I was just a bit quicker, fought a bit harder-"

" _Drem, Dovahkiin_. You fought well-"

"I lost!" He shouted, unable to see victory in the whole thing. Deldrach seemed to be blaming himself more than he should, at such a minor setback. "Alduin got away, because I was not strong enough!"

"Alduin himself noted your strength. You need not worry, this was not the final battle."

"It could have been, Paarthurnax!"

" _Geh_ , it could have. But it was not, and there is still much to learn before fighting Alduin again- for the last time, if all goes well."

The Dunmer was breathing heavily, leaning against the stone wall and slowly sliding down to a seated position. He nodded, begrudgingly understanding Paarthurnax's point of view, and the two lapsed into silence, simply resting for a few moments. Deldrach whispered again, but the dragon was close enough to hear exactly what he was saying this time.

" _Laas yah nir._ "

_Ah_ , the dragon mused. _That explains many of the Dovahkiin's actions._ Aura Whisper, in the tongue of the _joorre_.

" _Vonmindoraan_... Incomprehensible." The mer was startled by the sudden continuation of the conversation. "Your _miinne_ were weak against the Elder Scroll, even with the Time Wound. But eyes are not the only way a practitioner of the Thu'um can see."

He had not replied, only dropping his head. The Dragonborn seemed embarrassed, like he should have been strong enough to not be effected. It gave Paarthurnax a better understanding of why he was so angry after the fight- truly, the Dragonborn meant that if he was strong enough to not get hurt by the Elder Scroll, he might have had a better chance at defeating Alduin. Not that he hadn't given his best in the actual fight, but that his best was not attainable considering the circumstances.

" _Nuz lot dur nis drun gein mar._ This cannot stop you, _Dovahkiin_. It is _munax_... cruel, like taking wings away from a _dovah,_ but it cannot stop you."

"The world will not end just because I cannot see it anymore!" snapped the Dunmer, but an apologetic look flashed across his face almost immediately afterward, and he looked down, apologizing. "It may not be permanent. I may still have a chance."

" ** _Dovahkiin_**!" Deldrach nearly yelped at the sudden shouting of his title, turning downward to High Hrothgar. Yes, he supposed he had spent too long at the Throat of the World, and if any of the Greybeards had seen Alduin they would no doubt be worried for the Dragonborn.

" _Praan, Dovahkiin._ The fighting is done for now. Return to the Greybeards, rest, find Alduin."

He seemed to be agreeing, as he got up from his position next to the wall and- after taking a moment to assess the direction the wind was going (a constant he had noticed the moment he got up the mountain a second time)- Deldrach turned toward the way he had come from, frowning slightly.

"Hard enough to go down the mountain with sight." He commented, cracking a smile and taking a branch from one of the trees that broke during the battle. "Maybe that goat that lives up here can help. Fight a few trolls for me."

A huff of laughter escaped the dragon, terrifying the Dunmer and nearly making him fall off the mountain. But Paarthurnax watched as he made his way down, realizing thirty seconds later that he had magic, and summoning a familiar as a seeing-eye wolf.

He had grown much, that was obvious. And as the elf left Paarthurnax's line of sight, stumbling slightly, the dragon could not help but admire how quickly he had accepted his current situation. The _joorre_ were the same, even after all the years that had passed since he had last seen one; they faced everything that was thrown in their direction, and found paths around or straight through what stood in the way. Paarthurnax had little doubt that the Dunmer would not overcome his obstacle, and return to fighting Alduin like he was meant to.

He was mortal, after all. Everchanging, adapting, and prepared to fight for what he believed in no matter how much he needed to sacrifice.


End file.
